以賽亞書36:1-22

36:1 希西家王十四年，亞述王西拿基立上來攻擊猶大的一切堅固城，將城攻取。
36:2 亞述王從拉吉差遣拉伯沙基率領大軍往耶路撒冷，到希西家王那裡去。他就站在上池的水溝旁，在漂布地的大路上。
36:3 於是希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬，並書記舍伯那和亞薩的兒子史官約亞，出來見拉伯沙基。
36:4 拉伯沙基對他們說：「你們去告訴希西家說，亞述大王如此說：『你所倚靠的有甚麼可仗賴的呢？
36:5 你說，有打仗的計謀和能力，我看不過是虛話。你到底倚靠誰才背叛我呢？
36:6 看哪，你所倚靠的埃及是那壓傷的葦杖，人若靠這杖，就必刺透他的手。埃及王法老向一切倚靠他的人也是這樣。
36:7 你若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華─我們的上帝。希西家豈不是將上帝的邱壇和祭壇廢去，且對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們當在這壇前敬拜嗎？
36:8 現在你把當頭給我主亞述王，我給你二千匹馬，看你這一面騎馬的人夠不夠。
36:9 若不然，怎能打敗我主臣僕中最小的軍長呢？你竟倚靠埃及的戰車馬兵嗎？
36:10 現在我上來攻擊毀滅這地，豈沒有耶和華的意思嗎？耶和華吩咐我說，你上去攻擊毀滅這地吧！』」
36:11 以利亞敬、舍伯那、約亞對拉伯沙基說：「求你用亞蘭言語和僕人說話，因為我們懂得；不要用猶大言語和我們說話，達到城上百姓的耳中。」
36:12 拉伯沙基說：「我主差遣我來，豈是單對你和你的主說這些話嗎？不也是對這些坐在城上、要與你們一同吃自己糞喝自己尿的人說嗎？」
36:13 於是，拉伯沙基站著，用猶大言語大聲喊著說：「你們當聽亞述大王的話。
36:14 王如此說：『你們不要被希西家欺哄了，因他不能拯救你們。
36:15 也不要聽希西家使你們倚靠耶和華說：耶和華必要拯救我們，這城必不交在亞述王的手中。』
36:16 不要聽希西家的話，因亞述王如此說：『你們要與我和好。出來投降我，各人就可以吃自己葡萄樹和無花果樹的果子，喝自己井裡的水。
36:17 等我來領你們到一個地方，與你們本地一樣，就是有五穀和新酒之地，有糧食和葡萄園之地。
36:18 你們要謹防，恐怕希西家勸導你們說：耶和華必拯救我們。列國的神有哪一個救他本國脫離亞述王的手呢？
36:19 哈馬和亞珥拔的神在哪裡呢？西法瓦音的神在哪裡呢？他們曾救撒馬利亞脫離我的手嗎？
36:20 這些國的神有誰曾救自己的國脫離我的手呢？難道耶和華能救耶路撒冷脫離我的手嗎？』」
36:21 百姓靜默不言，並不回答一句，因為王曾吩咐說：「不要回答他。」
36:22 當下希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬和書記舍伯那，並亞薩的兒子史官約亞，都撕裂衣服，來到希西家那裡，將拉伯沙基的話告訴了他。

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ²The king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. He stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. ³And there came out to him Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

⁴ The Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this confidence of yours? ⁵Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? ⁶See, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. ⁷But if you say to me, ‘We rely on the Lord our God,’ is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? ⁸Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. ⁹How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? ¹⁰Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.”

¹¹ Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” ¹²But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the people sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

¹³ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ¹⁴Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. ¹⁵Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ ¹⁶Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, ¹⁷until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. ¹⁸Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, The Lord will save us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved their land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ²⁰Who among all the gods of these countries have saved their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should save Jerusalem out of my hand?’ ”

²¹ But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” ²²Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

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    先知這時將情境拉回現實的狀態，因為亞述王來攻擊猶大，搶奪了猶大許多的城池，一直攻打到耶路撒冷外。亞述軍隊的元帥拉伯沙基，竟然向猶大的三位使臣希勒家的兒子家宰以利亞敬、並書記舍伯那和亞薩的兒子史官約亞，發出囂張的語言，想要嚇嚇耶路撒冷的百姓。

    百姓聽了以後，靜默不言，並不回答一句，因為王曾吩咐說：「不要回答他。」

    反倒是那三位使臣的反應比較劇烈，都撕裂衣服！

    但是不管如何，我們不要因為仇敵囂張而害怕，更是要勇敢面對，因為上帝是我們的堅固保障！正如馬丁路德宗教改革時的重要詩歌：

上主是我堅固保障，莊嚴雄峻永堅強；

上主使我安穩前航，助我乘風破駭浪。

惡魔盤踞世上，仍謀興波作浪，

猖狂狡猾異常，猙獰殘暴非常，陰險絕世惡無雙。

我若但憑自已力量，自知斷難相對抗，

幸有一人挺身先登，率領著我往前方。

如問此人為誰？乃是基督我王，

統管宇宙萬方，自古萬民共仰，定能將群魔掃蕩！

群魔雖然環繞我身，向我盡量施侵凌，

我不懼怕，因神有旨，真理必使我得勝。

幽暗之君雖猛，不足令我心驚，

他怒我能容忍，日後勝負必分，主言必使他敗奔。

主言權力偉大非常，遠勝世上眾君王，

聖靈恩典為我所有，因主耶穌在我方。

親戚,貨財可捨，渺小浮生可喪，

人或殘殺我身，主道依然興旺，上主國度永久長。